UGC Proposed as Sole Regulatory Authority

The academia feels that there should be lesser number of authorities regulating higher education. Voicing these opinions at an educational conference, chancellors, vice-chancellors and other authorities said that the University Grant Commission (UGC) should have the sole regulatory authority for universities. Other regulatory bodies should respect the autonomy of this institution and play an advisory role.

It was also suggested that regulatory authorities such as AICTE and NCTE should be confined to colleges, offering professional and technical courses, and private and self-financed non-affiliated institutions only.

However, for institutes offering medical courses and agricultural universities and colleges, which are being funded by separate administrative ministries, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) should continue to regulate them.

A proposal was also made of reducing the number of colleges per university to enhance the administration. Smaller towns and rural and remote areas could be brought into focus where enrolment ratio is lower, compared to the national average. The national enrolment ratio is roughly 10%. The government has set a target to increase enrolment ratio to 15% by the terminal year of the 11th Plan. Additionally, it has been suggested that existing universities be allowed to set up rural campuses, so as to make university education more reachable to rural masses.

It was also suggested that a women’s university be established in each state as many parents hesitate to send their girl child to co-education system.